Georgia World War II Army Airfields

Georgia World War II Army Airfields
Part of World War II
Map of Major Georgia World War II Army Airfields
  •   First Air Force
  •   Third Air Force
  •   AAF Training Command
  •   AAF Contract Flying Schools
  •   Air Technical Service Command
Type Army Airfields
Site history
Built 1940-1944
In use 1940--present

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Georgia for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.

Most of these airfields were under the command of Third Air Force or the Army Air Forces Training Command (AAFTC) (A predecessor of the current-day United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command). However the other USAAF support commands (Air Technical Service Command (ATSC); Air Transport Command (ATC) or Troop Carrier Command) commanded a significant number of airfields in a support roles.

It is still possible to find remnants of these wartime airfields. Many were converted into municipal airports, some were returned to agriculture and several were retained as United States Air Force installations and were front-line bases during the Cold War. Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes.

Major airfields

First Air Force

425th Army Air Force Base Unit
Sub-base of: Jacksonville Army Airfield, Florida
Also used by: Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (1942-1943)
Transferred to: Third Air Force (1945)
Was: Chatham Air Force Base (1947-1950)
Now: Savannah Air National Guard Base (IATA: SAV, ICAO: KSAV, FAA LID: SAV)
346th Army Air Force Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter),
Sub-base of: Dale Mabry Field, Florida
Transferred to: United States Navy (1945)
Now: Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Third Air Force

  • Statesboro Army Airfield, 3.6 miles (5.8 km) northeast of Statesboro
Sub-base of: Morris Field. North Carolina, later William Northern Field, Tennessee
343d Army Air Force Base Unit
Now: Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport (IATA: TBR, ICAO: KTBR, FAA LID: TBR)
  • Thomasville Army Airfield, 7.4 miles (11.9 km) northeast of Thomasville
42d Army Air Force Base Unit
Now: Thomasville Regional Airport (IATA: TVI, ICAO: KTVI, FAA LID: TVI)

  • Hunter Field, 5.7 miles (9.2 km) south-southwest of Savannah
36th Army Air Force Base Unit
Also used by: Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (1942-1943)
Was: Hunter Air Force Base (1950-1967)
Now: Hunter Army Airfield (United States Army) (IATA: SVN, ICAO: KSVN, FAA LID: SVN)
  • Waycross Army Airfield, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northwest of Waycross
531st Army Air Force Base Unit
Sub-base of: Hunter Field, later Drew Field, Florida
Now: Waycross-Ware County Airport (IATA: AYS, ICAO: KAYS, FAA LID: AYS)

AAF Training Command

Eastern Flight Training Center

  • Bainbridge Army Airfield, 6.0 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Bainbridge
Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced Single-Engine)
3305th Pilot Training Group (Contract Primary)
332d Army Air Force Base Unit
Known sub-bases and auxiliaries
Donalsonville Auxiliary Field
Reynoldville Auxiliary Field
Faceville Auxiliary Field
Vada Auxiliary Field
Babcock Auxiliary Field
Commodore Decatur Auxiliary Field
Later: Bainbridge Air Base (1951-1961)
3306th Pilot Training Group (Contract Flying)
Now: Decatur County Industrial Air Park (IATA: BGE, ICAO: KBGE, FAA LID: BGE)
Army Air Force Pilot School (Basic)
Royal Air Force Cadet training
27th Flying Training Wing
61st Army Air Force Base Unit
Known sub-bases and auxiliaries
Gunn Auxiliary Field
Perry Auxiliary Field
Harris Auxiliary Field
Byron Auxiliary Field
Myrtle Auxiliary Field
Now: Middle Georgia Regional Airport (IATA: MCN, ICAO: KMCN, FAA LID: MCN)
  • Moody Field, 10.6 miles (17.1 km) north-northeast of Valdosta
Army Air Force Pilot School (Primary)
29th Flying Training Wing
78th Army Air Force Base Unit
Known sub-bases and auxiliaries
Rock Ford Auxiliary Field
Lake Park Auxiliary Field
Bemiss Auxiliary Field
New River Auxiliary Field
Valdosta Auxiliary Field
Now: Moody Air Force Base (IATA: VAD, ICAO: KVAD, FAA LID: VAD)

  • Spence Field, 5.8 miles (9.3 km) east-southeast of Moultrie
Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced Single-Engine)
75th Army Air Force Base Unit
Known sub-bases and auxiliaries
Berlin Auxiliary Field
Norman Park Auxiliary Field
Moultrie Municipal Airport
Tifton Municipal Airport
Later: Spence Air Base (1951-1961)
3302d Flying Training Squadron (Contract Flying)
Now: Spence Airport (IATA: MUL, ICAO: KMUL, FAA LID: MUL)
Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced Twin-Engine)
74th Flying Training Wing
75th Army Air Force Base Unit
Known sub-bases and auxiliaries
Leesburg Auxiliary Field
West Smithville Auxiliary Field
West Leesburg Auxiliary Field
North Smithville Auxiliary Field
Cordale Municipal Airport
Vidalia-Lyons Auxiliary Field
Tifton Municipal Airport
Albany Army Airfield
Later: Turner Air Force Base (1947-1967)
Later: Naval Air Station Albany (1967-1976)
Now: Non-Aviation Use (Industrial Area)

AAF Contract Flying Schools

  • Albany Army Airfield, 3.7 miles (6.0 km) northwest of Albany
Contract Flying School: Darr Aero Tech
Also: Auxiliary to Turner Field
52nd Army Air Force Fight Training Detachment. (Primary)
Known sub-bases and auxiliaries
Hayley Auxiliary Field
Reynolds Auxiliary Field
River Auxiliary Field
Turner Auxiliary Field
Now: Southwest Georgia Regional Airport (IATA: ABY, ICAO: KABY, FAA LID: ABY)
  • Bush Field, 7.1 miles (11.4 km) south of Augusta
Contract Flying School: Georgia Aero Tech
72d Army Air Force Flight training Detachment (Basic)
Known sub-bases and auxiliaries
Dionne Auxiliary Field
Yawn Auxiliary Field
Now: Augusta Regional Airport (IATA: AGS, ICAO: KAGS, FAA LID: AGS)

South Georgia College Civil Pilot Training School (Primary)
63d Flight Training Detachment
Known sub-bases and auxiliaries
Tanner-Ewing Auxiliary Field
Knight Auxiliary Field
Dorminey Auxiliary Field
Paulk Auxiliary Field
Now: Douglas Municipal Airport (ICAO: KDQH, FAA LID: DQH)
Souther Civil Pilot Training School (Primary)
56th AAF Flying Training Detachment
Now: Jimmy Carter Regional Airport (ICAO: KACJ, FAA LID: ACJ)

Air Technical Service Command

303d Army Air Force Base Unit
Warner Robins Air Service Command (WRASC)
USAAF/Civil Airfield Joint Use
Also used by: United States Navy
Now: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (IATA: ATL, ICAO: KATL, FAA LID: ATL)
  • Daniel Army Airfield, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) west of Augusta
387th Air Service Group
21st Army Air Force Base Unit
Warner Robins Air Service Command (WRASC)
Also used by Third Air Force (1941-1942)
Joint use USAAF/Civil Airfield
Also used by: Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (1942-1943)
Now: Daniel Field (IATA: DNL, ICAO: KDNL, FAA LID: DNL)
  • Macon Army Air Base, 4.3 miles (6.9 km) west of Macon
37th Air Depot Group
469th Army Air Force Base Unit
Warner Robins Air Service Command (WRASC)
USAAF/Civil Airfield Joint Use
Now: Macon Downtown Airport (IATA: MAC, ICAO: KMAC, FAA LID: MAC)

  • Marietta Army Airfield, 13.7 miles (22.0 km) north-northwest of Atlanta
292d Army Air Force Base Unit
Bell Aircraft B-29 Superfortress Manufacturing/Delivery
Also used by: Second Air Force
Now: Dobbins Joint Air Reserve Base (IATA: MGE, ICAO: KMGE, FAA LID: MGE)
  • Robins Field, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) north-northeast of Warner Robins
4117th Army Air Force Base Unit
Warner Robins Air Service Command (WRASC)
Warner Robins Air Depot
Now: Robins Air Force Base (IATA: WRB, ICAO: KWRB)
And: Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WRALC)

Minor Airfields

  • Lawson Field, 8.6 miles (13.8 km) south of Columbus
Camp Benning Army Support
54th Army Air Force Base Unit (I Troop Carrier Command)
Was: Lawson Air Force Base (1947-1954)
Now: Lawson Army Airfield (IATA: LSF, ICAO: KLSF, FAA LID: LSF)

  • Liberty Army Airfield, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east of Hinesville
Camp Stewart Army Support
WASP/Antiaircraft Training
Now: MidCoast Regional Airport at Wright Army Airfield (IATA: LIY, ICAO: KLHW, FAA LID: LHW)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

    External links